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Varsity holds maiden convocation, produces 23 first class graduates

By Kehinde Olatunji
15 July 2021   |   4:05 am
Anchor University, Ayobo, Lagos, a private institution owned by Deeper Life Christian Ministry held its first convocation ceremony with 23 students having first class.

Vice Chancellor, Prof Joseph Olasehinde Afolayan; BoT Chairman, Pastor Philip O. Oluwi; Guest Lecturer, Prof Peter Okebukola; Chancellor, Pastor Williams Kumuyi, Mrs Esther Adenike Kumuyi; Council Chairman, Prof Silas Sunday Dada; and Deeper Life Lagos Moderator, Pastor John Akinwande; at the convocation ceremony.

Anchor University, Ayobo, Lagos, a private institution owned by Deeper Life Christian Ministry held its first convocation ceremony with 23 students having first class.

The Vice Chancellor, Prof Joseph Olasehinde Afolayan, at the event, said the university graduated 63 students for the 2019/2020 academic session, with 23 having first class, 27 Second Class (Upper Division) while 13 graduated with Second Class (Lower Division).

The best graduating student, Mary Enakireru, had a Cumulative Point Grade Average (CPGA) of 3.95/4.00. Prof Afolayan congratulated the graduands, their parents, sponsors and members of staff of the university for their commitment since the school started in February 2017.

He said despite all the challenges the students faced, including tough decisions that had to be made for their progress, they would agree that those decisions have impacted their lives and made them better persons.

“We allow God to direct us and take full control of raising young men and ladies. Training here is transformational and these young adults have gone through sessions of divine transformation,” the vice chancellor said. Afolayan said the university started with a desire to become one of the leading institutions in the country.

“We have worked tirelessly to ensure that our students from different backgrounds and culture align with the vision of our founding fathers. Along the line, we faced the challenge of upgrading and securing our facilities to ensure that we compete globally. By the grace of God, the institution has continued to defy the challenges, as every challenge we encountered has been a stepping stone to greater accomplishments,” he said.

The Chancellor, Pastor Williams Kumuyi urged Nigeria and other African countries to empower the younger generation to usher in the desired transformation in the nearest future.

Kumuyi noted that African youths were yet to live up to expectations on many fronts, hence the need to train them to unearth and raise their potential.

He said millions of youth had their visions stopped through wrong training, early marriage and its consequences. He said: “A good number are victims of destructive behaviours like drug abuse, immorality and other crimes. These gloomy realities explain why the school was established with the vision to be a citadel of learning for holistic human transformation and development. As an undergraduate at Anchor University, you need integrity to become a total student.

“Nigeria, like the rest of Africa, must become deliberate about quality education to ensure young people are both relevant in the future and globally competitive,” Kumuyi added.

The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by his Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr Gboyega Soyombo, also commended the institution for overcoming the challenges of COVID-19 lockdown.

Sanwo-Olu praised the mission, vision and core values of the institution, which he said placed emphasis on character building and spiritual values.

In addition to the spiritual emphasis, there is also the passionate pursuit of academic excellence on a global scale in teaching, learning and research.

“I want to encourage the university to continue in its service to humanity in terms of education and empowerment in character development of youths. If the first four years of the institution has been this productive and inspiring even in the face of global pandemic, the future of this university is no doubt, very bright,’ the governor said. He urged the graduates to be good ambassadors of the university and use all they had gained both spiritually and academically to transform the nation.

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